Club seeks nominations for trophy recipient

The Wichita Aero Club is seeking nominations for its annual Wichita Aero Club Trophy, which it presents annually to an individual or organization with ties to the local aviation community whose exemplary achievements and contributions in the field of aviation or aerospace deserve special recognition.

The trophy will be awarded at a recognition gala Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012, at the Wichita Airport Hilton. The club presented its first WAC Trophy to Velma L. Wallace, a prominent figure in Wichita’s aviation history as one of general aviation’s first women pilots, a life-long philanthropist, and widow of former Cessna Chairman Dwane Wallace.

“The Wichita Aero Club Trophy has been created to recognize both contemporaneous accomplishment or a lifetime of achievement, ” explained Dave Franson, executive director of the Wichita Aero Club. “Last year, we were extremely pleased to be able to award the first ever WAC Trophy to someone who has been associated with Wichita’s aviation history since its early days. That, however, doesn’t mean that nominees can’t come from the ranks of individuals or organizations whose recognition is based on a recent milestone or singular event. There have been significant achievements during the course of 2011 that certainly warrant consideration. We are encouraging members of the aviation community and the general public to go to our website and follow the criteria for nominating potential recipients by Dec. 1, 2011. We will announce the 2011 winner during the following week, once all of the nominees have been reviewed by the Selection Committee.”

The committee, which is chaired by Ashley Bowen-Cook of the Greteman Group, includes members of the Wichita Aero Club Board of Directors and prominent members of the aviation community, who will evaluate all of the nominations, including those submitted last year if they still conform to the criteria. “We want to continue to build upon the tradition we began last year by selecting a deserving candidate with solid ties to the Wichita and Kansas aviation community,” Franson pointed out.

The Wichita Aero Club was established in 2008 to foster and promote interest in aviation, provide a forum focused on the industry’s issues and achievements and bring together those with a passion for flight in an environment that expands and enhances professional relationships and furthers cooperation and understanding.

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